Fleeting Day By Day
by Milia
Summary: Ueki's confused ; Mori's speechless; and the rest of them were curious - The day seems peaceful enough for them...until a stranger comes and confessed his love to Mori. Ueki x Mori


Disclaimer: Ueki no Housoku and Ueki no Housoku PLUS are never, never mine, except the originals, of course. shoots tomatoes

Aah, count on me to make some weird title like that. As some of you may already notice, yeah, this is my second attempt on writing a Law of Ueki fic, particularly a 1)multi-chaptered 2)romance fic 3)and again, a Ueki x Mori one. It is suggested for you to at least know the outline of PLUS story, but this can still be read without it because it's not the main case like my previous fic. Enjoy, drop me a hello, or criticism, or anything – I would love to improve this piece with your comments.

--

"Mori Ai, I love you."

This statement came from a stranger, in the middle of the day, in the middle of the street.

This stranger, holding a bouquet of rose toward her – who looked like the same age of her, was calm, patiently waiting for an answer. A positive one, of course.

And this left 3rd Year Mori Ai dumbstruck.

"…Huh?" That was the only intelligent thing that she could muster.

The boy patiently repeated what he said before,

"I said, I love you from the first time I saw you, Mori Ai."

"…HUH?!"

She was dumbfounded for a while, before finally she managed to calm herself down, and tried to reason with whoever it was.

_Calm down, calm down. _

"Err…I mean..listen. Truthfully, I'm happy and touched with your….confession," she began her sentence, though her expression was screaming the very opposite of it, "But….err, how do I put this…I'm sorry, I can't receive your feelings."

His expression fell – making her felt really, really guilty. He seemed honest, after all.

"Why? I won't back down until I get a proper answer."

"Uh…first of all…err…ah! I don't know you at all! You suddenly came to me in the middle of nowhere and confess your….err, feelings to me, but I don't even have a clue who you are, what's your name, how old are you, and stuff…and I don't have a feeling fo…" Her sentence was cut down immediately by him.

"Oh, so that's the matter! Okay, let me introduce myself – I'm Nagamasa Seisai; I'm also a 3rd grader like you. You may not remember this, but once, back then, you had helped me once and that occasion had struck my heart since then. If you're talking about that you haven't got to know me at all, I'm willing to wait! So, Mori Ai, would you be my girlfriend?"

Back to square one.

Mori's feeling like slapping her own head now.

What can she say anymore? Hey, sorry, I don't know who in blazes you are, no, I don't like you, and hey, I've already have someone I liked.

She mentally scratched furiously the last part.

But seeing him being so honest with her, she didn't have the heart to say the first two parts to him. It was so cruel. After all, this was the first time a guy ever confessed to her. In a romantic way, not to mention!

She tried to avert her gaze through her surroundings, fidgeting. In a second she was sure that she saw the bushes near her were moving strangely, but she quickly dismissed it as her imagination.

"So, Mori Ai, what is your answer?" He looked at her expectantly.

_Oh, kami-sama, I mean, Inumaru-san, if you're doing your job right now, give me a hand please!_

In other side of heaven, Inumaru sneezed and felt a sudden cold in his body.

Back to the earth, Mori was still fidgeting, trying to find what words should she said to him.

Finally, an idea struck her.

"A…Aaah! I remember!" This line was obviously suspicious, but Mori would take any chances to bet. "I-I'm sorry Nagamasa-san; I can't return your feelings. I..I have…" _Someone I like? Nah, that would not stop him, I bet. Plan two, execute! "_Uh..err…a boyfriend! Yeah, I have a boyfriend already! Ahah hahahahahaha! Er..that's why..I'm really sorry, Nagamasa-san…"

_Did it work?_

She should have known that she was a bad actress. Seems like he was half-convinced.

"Who, Mori Ai? I have been observing you for some time, and I haven't seen you being with any boyfriend…please, Mori Ai, don't lie to me."

With all her heart she really wanted to yell at him being a stalker, but she couldn't (because she felt that she, in one way or another, was also…like a stalker to a _certain someone_.

She was tempted to reason with him once again, but his determined looks on his face told her that he won't back off easily.

When she was really desperate, suddenly a kind of help arrived. Looks like there's still miracle in this world…

Though, left to be unsaid, this certain help had to take _this _kind of form.

Because suddenly the _certain someone _suddenly walked in the scene.

"Huh?" He noticed a familiar blue-haired figure standing not far from him. So, innocently, he shouted out to her.

"Mori! What cha' doing here? Oh, are you taking a walk? What luck, you know, Mori, I've been wanting to ask you about the quiz..." the green-haired boy chatted with her, oblivious to a certain figure that was in that scenery too.

Like being struck by something, she in a lightning speed grabbed the green-haired boy arm and stretched him closer to her.

"Him! He's my boyfriend! Yeah, it's certainly is him! Ahahahaha, what a fate, he come to find me! Ahahahahahahaha! Right, _dear?_"

That nervous laughs were certainly….suspicious. But that wasn't the case –right now she wished that the earth would open up a hole so she could jump in there in embarrassment… She really wished that Ueki's insensitiveness was taking the toll right now.

When she looked at his expression, confusion was clearly shown in his face.

_At the very least I have to be able convinced Nagamasa first!_

Mori tried to nudge and give him thousands of signals to actually play along for once, but again, he was too oblivious of it.

Though certainly the three of them were oblivious of the bushes that were moving suspiciously, as were hiding some _people._

So the green-haired boy, confused, asked her back, "Huh, Mori, I didn't come here to find you, I was just…"

His voice was cut down with a sharp nudge in the rib and a hard, painful stomp at his right foot. Plus she quickly blocked his yelp with a hand.

For once, she thanked Kami (to be specific, Inumaru) that Ueki didn't realize what's the meaning of her saying for once.

"Ahahahaha, he was just being stupid, I guess you hit your head somewhere, right UEKI?"

The bushes suddenly produced a sound similar to a stifled yelp.

Nagamasa was speechless.

Ueki was confused, not to mention, hurt at several places at once too.

Mori was nervous.

So, hey, what was actually happening?

Let's rewind this first, shall we?

--

PROLOGUE

--

It's been close to one-and-half-year since Ueki came back from Megasite, at her afteryear holiday. At the beginning it was pretty chaotic to straight things up – from telling the story to everyone, dealing with his family reactions (which he dealt with him being half-dead; they finally calmed down and stopped shaking things out of him out of worry after he passed out.) , and stuff until finally things gone back to normal.

The worse thing was dealing with the school problem – he suddenly was gone at the beginning of the opening ceremony as a freshman; when he was back, he was already late one year to note. Something that was unexpected was that the headmaster actually gave him a chance to skip the first year and immediately became a second year student. It looked like that actually Ueki's dad, Ueki Gengoro, came to school already when he was missing and made up some stories for his one-year-absent – not to mention that the headmaster was a devout fan of his novels. Though until now Mori was still wondering what kind of story he made up for it that was able to convince the headmaster ("Reality is stranger than fiction!" as she quoted.)

Ueki immediately refused it of course, saying that he rather starting again as a first year rather that going to the second year if that was the reason he was given the chance. He finally agreed to it once the headmaster said that, of course, he's not going just like that to the second year – he had to pass the tests first. The tests involved all the subjects that were taught during the course of the semester, and he was given time during the holiday to study and he would be tested several weeks before the opening ceremony. It shouldn't be a problem with the administration stuff because practically his grades before were good and they could put it as a scholarship, in one way or another.

And of course, Mori Ai cannot let this slide just like that.

So after he told her about that when she visited him at his home, she, without a word anymore, ran back to her house; and when she came back, she arrived with all of her 1st grade books in her hands.

So starting that day she routinely came to his house every day in the morning, teaching him every bit of the subjects she understood. She practically sacrificed her holidays just for him – she even refused her father's offer of going to a resort somewhere.

Eventually during the study, both of them found difficulties – as Mori wasn't an expert in school – her grades were decent, not to mention it takes double effort for Ueki to fully understand because he had lost his studying zai back then. But either it was a gift from heaven or something, a sort of help come.

In the form of their friends – Sano, Rinko, Nagara, Haiji, Millie and Sora.

At first, they only intended to visit him too, but seeing that their best friend fate to enter 2nd grade was in danger, they decided to help. After all, both Sano and Rinko were university students (and both of them are smart) – surely they can do something with first grader subjects. Plus they had Sora, which can be counted as a genius as well. So Sano and Rinko, with the help of Sora became Ueki personal tutors – Mori in the end had to tag along studying with him. The rest of them – Nagara, Haiji and Millie– had their own way of cheering Ueki up.

So during the holiday, the group visited them nearly everyday. Nagara sometimes brought them some goodies from his newly opened shop and occasionally, Haiji joined them studying (with Nagara special 'persuasion'). Once in a while Hideyoshi will come to visit Ueki during his breaks, so during the holiday, Ueki residence was always crowded.

Sometimes when they got bored, they'll decide to take a break. His sister would poked in and challenge them playing video games, or they'll just stroll through the streets, chatting and laughing.

After weeks of studying, finally the date of test arrived. Mori, being a worrywart, decided to wait for him during the test, anxious about the result. He couldn't fail – he had to pass! He had worked so hard for this day, after all. So when the headmaster came out after seeing the test result grinning, she knew that this was a good sign.

In the end, Ueki Kousuke successfully passed the test and officially became a second-grader, just like Mori Ai.

And what coincidence that they'll be in the same class again, too.

--

Times flew so quickly - both of them now were in their senior year, and in the same class again.

Now that Mori contemplated about it again, she realized that many things had changed, looking back to the time when they had just entered junior-school.

Mori now was a bit calmer – she learned how to control her temper (though she still lose it occasionally due to a certain someone cannot restrain himself of being an idiot). Her hair has grown a bit, making her looked more mature. She was still a cheerful girl, and her trademark glasses still hang loosely. Unbeknownst to her – she was actually quite popular among the boys – something that she didn't really care at all.

Ueki himself had changed, too. During the years he had grown much taller – her head now barely reached his shoulders at all. Though he still the very same righteous Ueki Kosuke who still careless when it involved about his friend's safety.

He once told her about his acquired power at Megasite – apparently, unlike the abilities that were given at battle tournament; this power seemed to be permanent. He still recklessly used it when he had to use it to help people, that more than not earned him a hit from Mori.

Some of their habits didn't change at all – they still walked back home together; sometimes they would stop to clean the park or planting trees, which Mori accepted now as a kind of a routine. He would walk her back home before heading back to his own home.. She enjoyed this kind of routine, sometimes pondering if it would stop someday – when they had to go their own separate way. To their friends, they would seem like a perfect couple, but only they knew what's really going on between them. Mori would laugh it off when her friends pointing out about it, while Ueki, being Ueki, just simply ignore it.

Afterall, that's how their relationship was – and she's content with that alone.

--

It was Sunday afternoon. Tomorrow she'd have a small Mathematic test, but she was stuck.

"'Prove this identity: cos a (1-tan a) cos a – sin a ...'…if I do this and this…"

She's been trying to solve this single equation for hours, but she only met dead end.

"Huh…? No good… if I add this and…ARRRRRRRGH!! CURSE YOU MATHEMATICS!!" She slammed her book close, together with her pencil, so hard that it made a loud thud.

She was tempted to give up with this whole math deal, but she can't afford to fail in this test anymore. She had already failed in the previous test, if she failed this one again, that would pose a problem.

So she dialed her phone, trying to seek help from some of her friends. Unfortunately, all the people she called were either not available; or clueless just like her.

Annoyed, she tried her last resort – she called him. She waited for a few minutes for the phone to be connected, but she only got a dial tone.

"No answer…I guess I'm unlucky, huh."

Finally she decided to take a break for a while and get a fresh air outside.

--

She strolled through the streets lazily, enjoying the breeze. It was a warm day, just what she really wanted. The streets seemed to be not crowded - perfect for a walk.

As she passed the slope where she met him when he came back, her mind wandered back to the past.

_After her reunion with him, they then took a rest at the slope near them. At first she wanted to tell their friends about his return – but he shook at the idea; saying he didn't want to ruin their holiday. If she told them about it, they would definitely cancel their trip and rushed to see him. She wanted to protest – but seeing his tired look, she finally agreed._

_As they sat there, they chatted a lot – mainly Mori was the one to do the talking. She talked about everything – the school, his family, and their friends._

"_It's a peaceful day, huh Mori…" he softly said it as he gazed at the sky. Mori just gave a nod and a yeah._

"_Aren't you gonna ask about what happened?" he turned his gaze to her._

_She paused. Should she ask him now? Sure, she was dead curious about it…she wanted to ask him how did he survive, why did it took him so long to come back, what about Plus…so many things. But… _

_She shook her head._

"_No, if you don't want to tell it now. I figure you're tired – it can wait." She smiled._

_After all, she was already happy to see he has come back – only that was mattered._

_She tried to change the topic. "Oh yeah, speaking of which, I remember that you once said that you have someone you like…"_

"_? Yeah, what's about that?"_

_Should she continue this? She wouldn't know how to react if he told her he like someone else that maybe she didn't know – but her curiosity got the best of her._

"…_Who is that person anyway?"_

_Okay, there's no turning back now._

_He didn't answer her immediately, instead, he gazed back to they sky before muttering two words._

"_It's you."_

_Silence._

_It was unexpected. _

_And that freaked her totally. _

"_WHA…?A..aha..aha..ahahahaha…you must be joking right?! Ahahahahahahhah!" She can feel her heart jumping uncontrollably - _

"_Just kidding."_

_Her heart sank immediately – though she didn't know the reason._

"_Ahahahahaha! Of course! Don't joke like that, you dummy!"_

_She immediately brought up another topic, and pretended that it was nothing - but for the rest of the day, she felt something was tugging at the corner of her heart._

Until now she regretted to ask that question…she still didn't know what she felt like that.

While she was lost in her daydream, not far from her, someone was observing her.

Suddenly a voice called out, snapping her out back into reality.

"Mori Ai."

And when she tried to find the source of the voice, a boy of her age, holding a bouquet of red roses - came and approached her.

And that's how she got into the mess.

--

Nagamasa Seisai was silent.

It's true he had been observing her for some time, and he did know about the green-haired-rival of his that constantly tagged along with her, but he always thought that they were nothing more than friends. He had done a background check out of her, complete with asking some of her friends, and from what he got that they were not in a relationship, but looks like his sources were wrong.

"…I understand, Mori Ai. I would back off for now." He eyed his rival sharply (though the latter remained oblivious).

"But I won't give up, no, I won't." He handed her the bouquet of roses, which she hesitantly received.

"I'll take my leave now – see you later, Mori Ai."

And in a second, he was gone.

Mori Ai was still dumbstruck, unaware of what had been happening, it seems like her mind had stop functioning for a while. At least for now she was relieved of a matter.

Though she still wondered what did he meant when he said, _"See you later, Mori Ai."_

Until the other person beside her was yelping. When she looked at his face – his face was turning blue; he was suffocated. Surprised, she released her hands.

"Are you alright, Ueki?!"

He took his time to breathe some air, and he nodded.

"…yeah. Don't worry."

She realized now that she had another thing to explain to him.

_Oh kami-sama, what should I do?! _

"Uh..Ueki…about the previous stuff…"

"..Yeah, what's about it?"

"Eh..uh…err, you see, I wasn't ser…"

She wasn't able to finish her sentence when suddenly she heard a strange noise from the bushes.

_Strange…the bushes had been weird ever since when Nagamasa was here…_

She suddenly was struck in horror.

_Please, please don't say that…!!_

Praying that she were wrong, she quickly approached that bushes and when she took a look behind them…

There she found the whole crew – Sano, Rinko, Hideyoshi, Nagara, Haiji, and Milie.

Being found out, Sano just let out a weak grin.

"Er…hello, Mori….it's a nice day, isn't it? Ahahahaha…"

Actually, they weren't planning to spy them at all. Sano and Rinko at first were planning to visit Ueki at his house, and they met the rest of the group on the way there. They were on their way to his house when they saw the scene – and so on.

Ueki, who was peeking from behind Mori, greeted them out of the blue.

"Huh… Hey, everyone! Why were you here too?"

Everyone were sweating nervously, but Hideyoshi, oblivious to their discomfort, jumped out from the bushes and innocently asked him,

"Ueki!! You never told me that you were going out with Mori!"

Of course, Ueki didn't catch the draft.

"Huh? What do you mean…?"

The group mentally slapped their head, and glared daggers to Hideyoshi. He was clueless why he received that treatment, though.

Although somewhat they were curious, too. They had suspected something was going on between the two even since back then…

Mori in the other hand, was speechless. She looked back forth from Ueki – who was still confused – and the expectant group.

_Kami-sama…what should I do?_

_--_

To be continued.

AN : Yeah, cliffhanger everyone. I have already thought about the next chapter…so maybe it won't be too long. Oh, the scene in the slope wasn't created by me – it was really there on Ueki Plus, on the omake on the last book. You can check the link in my profile, if you're interested. Please read and review! Any kind of comments and advice were appreciated.


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